Kanyakumari native beaten to death by mob over theft suspicion in Kayamkulam

KAYAMKULAM: A middle-aged man from Tamil Nadu was beaten to death by a mob of six people, on the suspicion that he had stolen a gold chain from a two-and-a-half-year-old girl. Kanyakumari Devicode native Shibu (Saji - 49), who was staying on rent in Kayamkulam, died in the incident.

The Kayamkulam police arrested Vishnu, father of the two-and-a-half-year-old girl, his wife Anjana, and Vishnu's mother Kani over the incident. Three neighbours and friends of the family are absconding. The postmortem report says that the cause of death was a ruptured nerve in Shibu's neck due to a blow below his ear.

According to police:

On Wednesday morning, Vishnu's daughter had gone to the house of her neighbour, Shibu. When she returned, the two-gram gold chain was missing. Shibu claimed innocence when questioned and said he knew nothing of the missing.

An investigation conducted by the child's family on financial institutions in the area found that the same gold had been pawned for Rs. 13,000 in a private financial institution in Kayamkulam Menatheril. The relatives of the child found that it was Shibu who pawned the gold at the shop. Then, at around 7 pm, the child's parents and neighbours questioned Shibu near his house. When he denied the charges, they beat him up in a group. Shibu's wife, Sudha, tried to defend him, but to no avail.

Shibu was rushed to Kayamkulam Government Hospital, where he collapsed and died. The body was sent for postmortem at Alappuzha Medical College Hospital. Shibu had come to Kayamkulam eight years ago to work as a caterer. Shibu lived with his wife in the rented house. The police have not confirmed whether Shibu himself had pawned the gold at the financial institution. A detailed investigation will be conducted today. The Kayamkulam police said that the remaining accused will be arrested soon.